Joseph k higgibts



f I. F. HIGGINS.

BLINDSTITCH TAPlNG ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9. 1915.

Patented Aug. v22, 1916.

.A IIIIIIHIII Wl TNESSES A TTRNEI/S JOSEPH F. HIGGINS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ang. 22, 319116.

Application filed February 9, 1915. Serial No. 7,006.

To all ywhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH F. HIGGINS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York', borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Blindstitch Taping Attachment for Sewing-lVIachines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

VThis invention relates to an attachment for double needle or single zigzag stitch sewing machines, whereby tape, braid and the like may be applied to cloth or other fabric by blind stitching.

The invention has for its general objects to provide a novel, simple and inexpensive attachment forlsewing machines, whereby taping with invisible stitches can be' easily', quickly and effectively accomplished, the feed of the tape being entirely automatic so that the application of the tape to a fabric is as simple as making an ordinary seam or hem with a sewing machine.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a guide and folder which is attached to the presser foot of the sewing ma-v chine and by means of the same the tape has its ledges symmetrically folded, and the tape passes through the needle opening of the presser foot and moves backwardly under the same with the fabric to which the tape is sewed, the needle or needles being disposed within the tubular part of the tape between the folder and needle opening of the presser foot, whereby the needles pass through the inturned edges of the tape at the point where the tape is laid agalnst the fabric.

IVith such objects in View, and others which will appear as the description pro- 'cceds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one "embodiment of the invention, and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,'Figure l is a perspective view of the presser foot and needle bar of a double needle machine with the taping attachment applied `to the presser foot; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2, Fig. 3, drawn on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective yiew showing the manner in which the tape 1s folded preparatory to the stitching of the same on a fabric; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a. blind stitched tape sewed by a double needle machine; Fig. 6 is a similar View showing a tape sewed by a zigzag needle machine: Fig.

1s a plan View of the tape folder; and F 1g. 8 is a sectional view of the lower end-of the tape folder.

Referring yto the drawing, A. designates the presser foot of a sewing machine and B the needle bar which is shown in the present instance as having two needles 1 and 1l which reciprocate in the needle opening 2 of the presser foot.v The attachment includes a folder or former C which is dis posed above and adjacent the needle openlng 2, so as to cause the tape D to assume a tubular form as it feeds through the needle opening to the fabric E on which the tape is blind stitched.

Thetape D can be fed from a spool or reel suitably mounted on the machine, and it passes forwardly through a` guide opening 3 in the shank 4 of the presser foot, and between this opening and the folder (l is a guide 5 formed of wire and secured by a screw 6 to the presser foot. T he folder C is made of sheet metal and comprises a base 7 fastened to the presser foot by a screw or equivalent device S, and a shank 9 extends forwardly from the base and carries the folding means at its forward end. The fold ing means is formed by oppositely extending flanges l0, each of which is bent backwardl y on itself to form guide passages 1l. At the upper part these passages are in approximately a straight line, as shown in Fig. 7, but at the lowe; part of the folder they are of circular disposition, as shown in Fig. 8. Thus the braid in entering the folder is approximately flat. but in leaving the folder ,it is of tubular form, the edges being turned inwardly toward each otherby the curvature of the lower ends of the guide passages 11. From the folder C the tape passes vertically into the needle opening 2 of the presser foot, and the needle or needles pass downwardly through the tubular portion of the folded tape and pass through the infolded edges of the tape, whereby the said edges are stitched to the fabric. the stitches being wholly concealed, as shown in Figs. 5 and G. Since the folder is crotched or bifurcated the needle or needles are accommodated within the folder, and therefore the folder can be loca ted directly over the needle -opening of the presser foot, whereby the best disposition of the/folded edges of the tape with respect to the needles is had. The front of the .folder is provided with an opening 12, whereby the tape can be more easily inserted in the folder, and the edges of the tape engage in the hollow langesor members 10.

In operation the' tape passes easily and ysmoothly through the guides and folder and no attention is, required on the part of the operator any more than the guiding of the material in a manner tostitch the tape where it is desired.

From the foregoing description ytaken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of `operation,` together with the device which I now consider to be vthe best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Herein the inventionhas been shown and described as applied toa flat presser foot but it is to be understood that the same can be used with a roller presser foot, yand furthermore, tapes of different widths may be sewed on fabrics by the use of the invention, it being of course necessary to employ a folder and sewing machine suited to the particular width of tape desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent' 1. The combination of a presser foot having a needle opening` one or more needles adapted to move vertically into and out of the opening, a guide associated with the presser foot and through which a tape is adapted to pass, and a former associated with the presser foot and disposed between the guide and needle opening. said former having spaced curved members by which the 4pair of oppositely disposed hollow flanges forming guide passages, the upper part of the flanges ,beingI approximately straight and the flanges curving progressively down- 'wardly, whereby the lower ends form a Hat tape into a tube, with the edges in proximity, the lower portions of the flanges being d1- rectly above ythe needle opening of the.

presser foot for guiding the folded tape into the opening, and one or more needles extending downwardly between the lower curved portions of the hollow flanges of the folder and vertically to and through the needle opening, whereby only the infoldededges of the tape may be stitched to a body fabric.

3. The combination of a presser foot having a needle opening. means on the presser foot for guiding a tape, a folder mounted on the presser foot and having a folding means lo'ated between the opening of the presser foot and the first-mentioned means, said folding means comprising a device for changing a flat tape into tubular form and maintaining the tubular portion of the tape at the needle opening vertical, and a. needle or needles disposed in the said folder and adapted to pass into the needle opening of the presser foot, whereby the infolded edges of the tape may be stitched to a body fabric.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH F. HIGGINS.

V'itnesses i C. BRADwAY, G. H. EMSLIE. 

